Improved railroad axle-box



LLLEHAYE.

Car-Axle Box. No. 54,563. l Patemed May 8, 1866.'

i @fw/X.

lnvent'or, Witnesses:

B R E FINESS) 'UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.;

IVMPROVED RAILROAD AXLE-BOX.

a Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 54,563, dated May 8,1866.

To all whom it 'may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN J. LAHAYE, of Reading, Berks county,Pennsylvania, have invented certain Improvements in Axle-Boxes; and I dohereby declare the following to be a full, clear,` and exact descriptionof the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and tothe letters ot' reference marked thereon.

My invention consists, first, ot' the combination of an axle-box havingan oil-chamber at the under side and an opening, when the said openingis situated as described hereinafter, so as to allow for the readyintroductian and removal of the wick, and when the opening is surroundedbya liange, which prevents the oil from lowin g back into the chamber;secondly, ot a passage for the introduction of oil to the oil-chamber,the said passage being so arranged thatit can be closed by the lid.

In order to enable others skilled in mechanism of this class to make anduse my invention, I will now proceed to describe its construction andoperation.

On reference to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of thisspeciiication, Figure lis a vertical section of an axle-box 'with myimprovements, an d Fig. 2 a transverse vertical section on the line l 2,Fig. l.

A is the top of the box 5 B, the end of the same; C, the bottom, land Dand D the opposite sides.

In the inside and against the top A ot' the box bears the usualdetachable key E, and against the latter the bearing E', which isadapted to the said key and to the journal ct of the axle F in the usualmanner.

At the rear of the box is a vertical chamber for receiving the woodpacking G, which, fitting closely to the collar b ofthe axle, serves toexclude dust and sand from the box and to maintain the lubricatingmaterial within the same.

'Io lugs 'i 'i at the top, and near the front end of the box, is hingedan inclined lid, H, the cork packing It h at the back of which itsagainst the edge of the opening in the front of the box, as seen in Fig.1.

The lid is conned to the box by a single bolt, m, the hole a forreceiving which is continued downward, so as to communicate with achamber, p, formed in the bottom of the box for the reception of thelubricating material.

, A narrow opening, t, round the top of which extends a ange, t, forms acommunication between the chamber p and the interior of the box, andthrough this opening passes a wick, g, one portion of which is containedin the chamber p and there immersed in the lubrieatin g material, theother portion occupying a position beneath the journal a, there beingbetween the wick and the journal cotton-waste or other like fibrousmaterial.

In front of the box, and communicating with the chamber p, is anotheropening, d, to which is adapted a screw-plug, e.

In ordinary boxes of this construction the openings through which thewick passes are directly beneath the axle, so that it is extremelydicult to gain access to the same. There is also no provision to preventthe oil from lowin g back from the axle into the chamber p, and the oil,as it thus flows back, carries with it particles of dust, which sooncause the oil in the chamber to become so thick and gummy that it willno longer flow up the wick.

It will be seen that in the box above described the openings t aresituated in front of the axle, so that the wicks can be readily removedand replaced without lowering the box, while the flange t prevents theoil which has once been raised into the box fropi owing back into thechamber.

Oil may be introduced into the chamber p by different channels; but Iprefer the opening n, forming a continuation ot' the hole for receivingthe bolt m, as the most appropriate and only channel through which oilshould be introduced into thesaid chamber, inasmuch as the packing oithe lid H forms a perfectlytight joint and prevents the escape of oilthrough the passage u.

After the withdrawal of the screw-plug c the interior of the chamber pmay be cleaned. The opening al, too, affords facilities for the properdisposal of the wick by a suitable in*` I claim as my invention anddesire to se cure by Letters Patent-h 1. The combination of an axleiboxhaving an oil-chamber al; the under side and an open- In testimonywhereof I have signed my ing, t, when the said opening is arranged inname to this speeication in the presence of front ofthe axle and issurmounted by a ange, -two subscribing Witnesses.

t, as'zmd for the purpose described. JOHN J. LAHAYE.

2. The passage u, communicating with the Witnesses:

chamber 19, and so situated that its upper end CHARLES E. FOSTER,

can be closed by the lid H. l W. J. R. DELANY.

